Howard Falkinburg

A blog about my rehabilitation and recovery from a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed with quadriplegia.


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  • Pressure wound update

    The fun never stops for me! I developed a pressure ulcer (also known as wound) on the outside of my right foot in early March. It practically happened overnight. The culprit was a pair of new Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFO’s) I was breaking in. See picture #1. Lovely. I broke them in, all right. More… Continue reading

  • How to deal with political stress

    I occasionally listen to a podcast called Savvy Psychiatrist with Dr. Monica Johnson. She covers a variety of mental health topics and the episodes are only about 20 minutes long. She recently covered a topic that resonates with me called Political anxiety. Other terms that could be used are political or political fatigue. This entails… Continue reading

  • OT student project and Howard’s life

    Courtney Day is an awesome full-time therapy aid at Hope Network. She’s also going to school to become an occupational therapist. This is her recent class project, which I share with you on this post. I was touched that she asked me to do this and the final result. It’s hope she got an A… Continue reading

  • Prialt Treatment

    Prialt treatment update For the past couple of months, I’ve been getting periodic increases of Prialt. This is a pain reliever but my case it doubles for spasticity relief. There has been noticeable improvements with my spasticity and functioning. I have more movement with my arms and legs. Last month, I walked 647 feet with… Continue reading

  • How I Survive Winter Weekends Without Getting Bored to Death

    This winter in West Michigan has been quite mild compared to other winters. Winter can still be a struggle, especially when dealing with depression. I’ll use examples of this past weekend. Plan ahead of time! Don’t just wing it. My worst weekends are those that I have nothing planned. A little structure goes a Long… Continue reading

  • Parental guidance counselor

    I was inadvertently placed into a role of a Parental Guidance counselor recently. It’s hard for me not to put my social work hat on. I was talking with a residential staff who confided that her 10 year relationship with her partner recently ended. She has primary custody of their daughter who is in first… Continue reading

  • Making friends at the Happy Cat Café

    I go on weekly therapeutic recreation outings to improve my emotional, social, physical well-being. It has helped reduce stress and build confidence in my ability to reconnect with society being wheelchair bound. This wasn’t a problem prior to my injury. I had a wide variety of interests and opportunities to participate. Golf was my favorite… Continue reading

  • a milestone achieved

    I achieved a significant milestone yesterday. I was able to power on and change the channels on the remote control from my wheelchair. First time ever. I had to maneuver the wheelchair and raise it a few inches. I stretched my left arm to pull the remote closer and reposition it. Then Booya! This new… Continue reading

  • My Rehabilitation Gym 

    The Neuro Rehabilitation Gym at Hope Network’s Sojourners program is a happening place Mondays through Fridays. A variety of programs happen simultaneously. Physical, occupational, and recreational therapists may be working with their clients. It’s an active place full of energy and hard work. The weekend vibe at the gym is tranquil. The only noise heard… Continue reading

  • Rants and raves

    Rant: Passwords will be the death of me The one thing that triggers me into a rage are freakin’ passwords. I have about 100 no no accounts that require a login name and password. I try to be diligent to keep these updated and store them in a password keeper app. My iPhone has the… Continue reading

About Me

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am LMSW and spinal cord injury survivor. . Another.

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